WHAT: Physicians for Human Rights invites you to a lunch briefing to hear from the field team that investigated sexual violence against Darfuri women in Sudan and in refugee camps in Chad. Joining the team will be two Sudanese physicians, Dr. Mohammed Ahmed Abdallah and Dr. Shaza Elmahdi.

Convened by Physicians for Human Rights with the support of Save Darfur Coalition, Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, Enough Project, Refugees International, Genocide Intervention Network, and American Islamic Congress.

VISUALS: American and Sudanese medical experts (male and female). High resolution images of refugee camps available.

WHY: Physicians for Human Rights welcomes the renewed sense of urgency and purpose contained in President Obama's new policy on Sudan, but remains skeptical that the genocidal regime in Khartoum can fulfill the role of trusted partner envisioned in the policy.

An immediate goal for US policy which is not explicitly addressed in the new comprehensive approach is an end to the gender-based violence occurring inside and outside camps in Chad and Darfur and an end to impunity for the crime of rape.

In line with US Strategic Objective #1, "A definitive end to conflict, gross human rights abuses, and genocide in Darfur," UNAMID and all UN agencies must be tasked with specific reporting on the problem of gender-based violence and must be free to report without obstruction by local authorities. The current system, which discourages women from reporting rape and seeking justice, must be reformed and existing rape laws must be strengthened.

The US and UN must also immediately demand a commitment from the Government of Sudan to cease impeding support programs for victims of gender-based violence and remove any obstacles to gender-based violence programming in technical agreements between the government and humanitarian NGOs. It is essential that the US monitor the ongoing situation on the ground in Darfur and not allow Omar al-Bashir's government the opportunity to further deceive the international community over human rights abuses. The Government of Sudan must accept an independent fact-finding mission to assess the human rights situation in Darfur, and the State Department should immediately encourage a high-level congressional delegation to perform this role, according to PHR.

As an independent medical organization which has documented, from 2004 to 2009, the Sudan government's mass killing and rape, pillage, forced displacement and destruction of all means of survival for hundreds of thousands of Darfuri civilians, PHR calls for an end to impunity for this genocidal campaign.

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.